3
20
3
virgievirgie
Lost in Dramaland
A good mix of Romance, Fantasy and Crime Investigation
“Love in Time” is Chinese adaptation of the Taiwanese drama “Meet Me @ 1006”, which I also watched. But it’s been a while and I don’t quite remember the details. “Love in Time” has a good mix of romance, fantasy and crime investigation. I think romance might be stronger and has a larger plot than “Meet Me @ 1006” (but I might be wrong).
Storytelling using multiple timelines could be confusing but I think “Love in Time” did a pretty good job. It shows clearly on the screen whether it’s in 2021 or 2022 and it actually isn’t hard to tell apart even without the words on screen. If you are really picky about consistency and things always make sense in different timelines, then I am not sure if this drama will satisfy you. What happened to the jealousy of the co-workers? How about paying at the convenience store when you’re not from the same timeline?
I think the strength of the drama is giving the three genres (romance, fantasy, crime investigation) equal time and integrating these elements well throughout the drama. However, even though the drama is only 24 episodes long, there are moments that I felt like the story is not moving fast enough. Technically, there are two big “events” that the main characters want to change, and I feel certain smaller events are repetitive and could have sped up the pacing.
I enjoy the acting by the two main leads, especially Yang Xu Wen as the male lead. He basically plays two characters and you can tell just by looking at him which timeline he’s in. He looks so handsome in this drama in nice tailored suits (better looking than in his period dramas). I enjoyed his acting here a lot more than “Strange Tales in Tang Dynasty”. The female lead, Julia Xiang, did an admirable job as well. I really like her character in the first half of the drama. She’s adorable and smart, and has a strong sense of justice. I also want to see more of her challenges as a newbie reporter. But towards the second half of the drama, she cries too much and I miss her brighter personality.
Unfortunately, I do not think the acting of the supporting cast shines as bright as the leads. Wang Men Li (as actress Wu Ji Rong) and Xu Kai Xin (as reporter Mu Shi Ming) are especially disappointing and bland. I had high hopes for Dai Gao Zheng after seeing his sexy acting (aka abs) in the popular web drama “Maid’s Revenge”. Unfortunately his role as Jiang Sheng Hao will not be his breakout role. He was OK, but he didn't stand out. I also think the script for the supporting cast is not doing the actors any favors. There’s barely any character development and the supporting cast only serves to move the plot along. This show is made for the male and female leads. Anyone else is an afterthought without depth.
As a romance junkie, I am satisfied with how the romance develops between the leads, in both timelines. I really do feel like the romance takes center stage in this drama. There are fun enemies-to-lovers bantering, cute and sweet scenes, a couple kisses and some really good, genuine hugs. I am glad that the male lead doesn’t turn dumb and useless after falling in love. He’s still smart and still level-headed. He really does have character development and has become a better person at the end of the drama. The second half of the drama becomes a little more melodramatic (because of the plot). I still think the female lead cries too much and I wish there are more heartwarming and sweet scenes here and there to balance out the melodrama.
I am satisfied with the ending of the drama. I was worried it’s going to be a cliche ending where someone would wake up from a coma or recover lost memories. Since this is a fantasy drama, I can’t use the word ‘realistic’ to describe it. But I would say it’s reasonable and not abrupt. There’s time between the end of a certain important event for the lead to recover, adjust and slowly come to terms to how they feel and to finally move on.
Other Random Observations:
1. I’m glad the actors are using their own voice. But I wish there’s more live recording and less post-production voice over. The quality of the dubbing isn’t great.
2. like Yang Xu Wen even more after this drama. But for some reason he is giving me a playboy vibe, which is weird because his character is definitely not a playboy.
3. My notes reminded me that I criticized the FL in the Taiwanese version for not showing enough of her judo. I think FL here does a little more MMA, butI still not enough. I want to see her beat up some bad dudes.
4. The apartment here is really big and nice. The Taiwanese apartment has a little more character and fun, definitely not as swanky especially for a down-on-his-luck lawyer.
Completed: 12/25/2022
Storytelling using multiple timelines could be confusing but I think “Love in Time” did a pretty good job. It shows clearly on the screen whether it’s in 2021 or 2022 and it actually isn’t hard to tell apart even without the words on screen. If you are really picky about consistency and things always make sense in different timelines, then I am not sure if this drama will satisfy you. What happened to the jealousy of the co-workers? How about paying at the convenience store when you’re not from the same timeline?
I think the strength of the drama is giving the three genres (romance, fantasy, crime investigation) equal time and integrating these elements well throughout the drama. However, even though the drama is only 24 episodes long, there are moments that I felt like the story is not moving fast enough. Technically, there are two big “events” that the main characters want to change, and I feel certain smaller events are repetitive and could have sped up the pacing.
I enjoy the acting by the two main leads, especially Yang Xu Wen as the male lead. He basically plays two characters and you can tell just by looking at him which timeline he’s in. He looks so handsome in this drama in nice tailored suits (better looking than in his period dramas). I enjoyed his acting here a lot more than “Strange Tales in Tang Dynasty”. The female lead, Julia Xiang, did an admirable job as well. I really like her character in the first half of the drama. She’s adorable and smart, and has a strong sense of justice. I also want to see more of her challenges as a newbie reporter. But towards the second half of the drama, she cries too much and I miss her brighter personality.
Unfortunately, I do not think the acting of the supporting cast shines as bright as the leads. Wang Men Li (as actress Wu Ji Rong) and Xu Kai Xin (as reporter Mu Shi Ming) are especially disappointing and bland. I had high hopes for Dai Gao Zheng after seeing his sexy acting (aka abs) in the popular web drama “Maid’s Revenge”. Unfortunately his role as Jiang Sheng Hao will not be his breakout role. He was OK, but he didn't stand out. I also think the script for the supporting cast is not doing the actors any favors. There’s barely any character development and the supporting cast only serves to move the plot along. This show is made for the male and female leads. Anyone else is an afterthought without depth.
As a romance junkie, I am satisfied with how the romance develops between the leads, in both timelines. I really do feel like the romance takes center stage in this drama. There are fun enemies-to-lovers bantering, cute and sweet scenes, a couple kisses and some really good, genuine hugs. I am glad that the male lead doesn’t turn dumb and useless after falling in love. He’s still smart and still level-headed. He really does have character development and has become a better person at the end of the drama. The second half of the drama becomes a little more melodramatic (because of the plot). I still think the female lead cries too much and I wish there are more heartwarming and sweet scenes here and there to balance out the melodrama.
I am satisfied with the ending of the drama. I was worried it’s going to be a cliche ending where someone would wake up from a coma or recover lost memories. Since this is a fantasy drama, I can’t use the word ‘realistic’ to describe it. But I would say it’s reasonable and not abrupt. There’s time between the end of a certain important event for the lead to recover, adjust and slowly come to terms to how they feel and to finally move on.
Other Random Observations:
1. I’m glad the actors are using their own voice. But I wish there’s more live recording and less post-production voice over. The quality of the dubbing isn’t great.
2. like Yang Xu Wen even more after this drama. But for some reason he is giving me a playboy vibe, which is weird because his character is definitely not a playboy.
3. My notes reminded me that I criticized the FL in the Taiwanese version for not showing enough of her judo. I think FL here does a little more MMA, butI still not enough. I want to see her beat up some bad dudes.
4. The apartment here is really big and nice. The Taiwanese apartment has a little more character and fun, definitely not as swanky especially for a down-on-his-luck lawyer.
Completed: 12/25/2022
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